Experienced fundraiser Joe Bower joins MEC as Director of Development

We are happy to announce that MEC has hired Joe Bower to expand our fundraising efforts as our new Director of Development. Joe's efforts will be focused on expanding MEC revenues by strengthening our relations with individual and corporate donors.

Joe has 14 years of development experience, the last 10 of which were spent with the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, overseeing activities that included memberships, sponsorships, donor relations, grant-writing, annual appeals, and special events. During his time with the KIA, development revenues increased by nearly 80 percent.

Before moving into the development field, Joe worked as a reporter for two Michigan newspapers: The (Greenville) Daily News and The Herald-Palladium in St. Joseph. Later he was an editor and freelance writer for a number of regional and national magazines, authoring stories for Audubon, Sports Illustrated, and National Wildlife, among others.

"Joe is a great addition to our team and we're excited to have someone with such impressive skills and experience focused on growing the community of generous financial supporters who make our work possible," says Chris Kolb, MEC president. "He has a proven track record of raising funds to help nonprofits succeed, and I'm confident he will help MEC grow into an even stronger and more effective organization."

Joe has a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

"I've appreciated and followed MEC's activities for years," he says. "Joining such a fine staff is like the perfect job for me because it lets me combine personal interests with professional skills."

A native of Southwest Michigan, Joe has a lifelong interest in environmental issues. He grew up on a 240-acre farm with beef cattle, horses, chickens and other livestock in Mattawan. As a boy he didn't always relish the daily chores that came with farm life-bailing hay, cleaning barns, chopping wood-but that lifestyle made a big impact.

"I really appreciate hard work," Joe says, noting that he still visits his parents there to help with chopping wood, making maple syrup and other projects. "At the time, I didn't necessarily like that. But I enjoy it now."

He lives in Kalamazoo with his wife, Maria, and their children, Sam and Matilda.

His rural upbringing notwithstanding, Joe-who spent six years in San Francisco before moving back to Michigan 20 years ago-says he appreciates that MEC's vision for Michigan encompasses everything from pristine wild places to thriving, sustainable downtowns. When it's family vacation time, good food and vibrant urban areas are usually on the menu.

"Our idea of fun," he says, "is exploring new cities and searching out great restaurants."

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